


In The Doghouse

by ShipsInTheKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Amelia Swan-Mills, Character Development, Dogs, F/F, Humor, Magic Potion, Magical Mutation, Spells & Enchantments, Swan-Mills Family, domestic life, magical transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-23 14:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4880677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipsInTheKnight/pseuds/ShipsInTheKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma brings her daughter, Amelia, to the park. While there, the young girl sees a stray dog and begs her blonde mother to take it home. What happens when the woman gives into the girl's demands and has to tell her wife, Regina, the 'good' news?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Higher, Mama,” exclaimed the small child. “Higher!”

The blonde chuckled at the girl’s demanding tone, having recognized it as a trait of her wife’s, and proceeded to push the child’s swing with more force.

“Okay, Amelia, but we’ve got to go soon,” responded the blonde, taking on a more serious tone. “It’s almost dinner time and you know how much Mommy doesn’t like it when we’re late.” The little girl nodded, slowing her leg movements and causing the swing to come to a stop. Making sure she wouldn’t fall, the girl hopped out of the levitated chair and landed securely on her feet. Her mother watched her movements with adoration. How is it that, in the end, fate turned out in  _her_ favor?

Rounding the swing, Emma took the girl’s hand in her own and they began their short journey back to the savior’s bug. After they had made it halfway to their destination, something caught the young girl’s eye.

“Amelia,” Emma called after the sprinting child as she took off towards the girl. “Amelia, you can’t-“

Before she could finish her statement, the young brunette came to a halt before a small dog, likely a beagle, who was wandering around the park. Glancing up at her mother, Amelia adorned her best pouty face and stared at the woman with pleading eyes. Emma already knew where this was heading.

“No, no,” Emma answered her daughter’s unspoken question.

“But  _whyyy not,”_ the girl whined, petting the dog with her hand. “Grandma Snow and Eli have one!” She had to give her daughter points for persuasion, she was damn good at it.

Emma saw the dog glance up at her with the same saddened expression her daughter had been sporting and practically melted at the sight.

 _‘No,’_ she chided herself.  _‘Regina would_ kill  _you, then the dog, then you again. Bottom line, NO!’_

Still the dog was gazing up at the blonde and Emma couldn’t take the combination of the two’s pleading any longer.

“Fine,” Emma conceded, throwing her hands into the air. Amelia jumped to her feet at her mother’s approval and began bouncing up and down. While she was rejoicing, the dog began barking and joined in her celebration.

Emma shook her head thinking to herself,  _‘What have I done?’_

 

Regina had almost finished dinner when she heard the front door open then close. She didn’t hear her wife’s usual greeting, so she decided to investigate. When the brunette had made it to the hallway, she was met by her wife, who was wearing a sorrowful expression. Instantly, Regina knew  _something_ was up.

“What did you do,” the brunette warned, raising her eyebrows at the blonde. Emma was close to retorting ‘how come anytime something was wrong, her wife would always accuse  _her_ as being the cause’, but then she thought better of the situation and responded, “I might have…accidentally…sort of…”

The brunette was getting tired of Emma beating around the bush. “Out with it already,” she demanded. Yup, Amelia definitely gets that tone from Regina.

“I let Amelia get a dog,” the blonde let out in a jumble of words, Regina almost missing what the woman had said entirely.  _Almost._

“You did what?!”


	2. Chapter 2

“You did  **what?!”**

Emma winced at the force of her wife’s tone, then defended, “I really didn’t have a choice! You should’ve seen the way she was looking at me!” Regina pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. “And the dog…”

“I don’t want to hear about the dog,” the brunette exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. Instantly she regretted the action, after seeing her wife flinch, and she drew in a deep breath. Taking on a calmer tone she asked, “Where is  _it?”_

Grateful that the blonde didn’t receive another verbal lashing, Emma informed her wife that the dog was with their daughter in the back yard. Apparently, the dog had jumped through a mud puddle, so Amelia promised to wash it before bringing him in the house.

“Don’t worry,” the blonde tried to soothe. “We’ll make flyers for him and he’ll be gone before you know it.” Emma flashed the woman a smile full of mock confidence, which was detected by the brunette and rewarded with a skeptical gaze.

“You better hope you’re right.” With those last words, Regina returned to the kitchen, the silence between the two woman challenging the blonde to test her luck further.

Emma released a breath that she wasn’t aware she was holding in and said to herself, “Well, that went better than expected.”

 

When the blonde arrived in the back yard, to check her daughter’s progress with bathing the creature, she was met with an amusing sight. Before her stood her daughter, drenched from the water erupting from the hose, flashing the mutt a very Regina-esque death stare.

 _‘If looks could kill,’_ joked Emma to herself.  _‘Regina would_ love  _that, wouldn’t she?’_

“How’s it going, kid?” The blonde tossed her daughter a towel, which was much appreciated, and attempted to stifle another chuckle at the sight. The beagle stared up at the blonde mother while wagging its tail, flicking droplets of water every which way.

“Terrible,” the girl exclaimed, pouting at her failed efforts. Emma shook her head at the girl and kneeled down in front of her so they were eye-level.

“Amelia,” the woman began. “Taking care of a pet is hard work. You seem to be doing a  _great_ job.” At her mother’s compliment, the young brunette smiled. “Really,” the girl questioned, furrowing her tiny brows. Emma nodded at her daughter and the girl’s smile widened, her mother now sporting an identical one. “So, we can keep him?”

Emma’s face dropped instantly, her daughter’s mimicking her actions. Taking the hint, the girl whined, “But  _whyyy_ not?” Emma disliked whining just as much as she did accident reports.

“Because,” she retorted, her voice taking on a superior tone. “Like I said, pets require  _a lot_  of work…and I’m sure this little guy has a family out there who misses him.” Amelia was going to interrupt her mother’s statement by saying that she’d take care of the dog, but then the thought of the animal already having a home made her sad. Tears began to gather in the little girl’s eyes and her mother was quick to notice.

“Amelia,” Emma breathed, all signs of sternness aside. “Chances are this little guy has a home and the best thing we can do for him  _right now_ is to comfort him until his family claims him.” The girl looked up and met her mother’s eyes with her own hazel ones, and thought of something.

“But what if they  _don’t_ claim him?” Emma knew this question was coming. There was no way she could avoid it and it’s not like the girl would allow for them to take him to the animal shelter if no one claims him.

The blonde raised her eyebrows and responded, “Then we’d have to find him a new home on our own.” Hopefully that would be a good enough answer. Regina’s already upset with her for letting the ‘beast’ stay with them for the time being. Image what her reaction would be if they  _did_ keep him. Emma visibly shivered at the thought. That’s not a scenario she wants to delve deeper into.

“Could we keep him,” Amelia asked while attempting to sound innocent, though her eyes told volumes to the blonde. Emma pondered her next response, thinking of a way to make both her daughter  _and_ her wife happy. Well, she could ask her parents to take him…or if worse comes to worse she could  _pay_ someone to take the dog. Well, in that case, telling her daughter if no one claims it wouldn’t do much harm if there’s no chance of that actually becoming an issue.

Emma reviewed her choice over, once more, in her head then nodded to herself in approval. She thought this was the  _perfect_ solution. “I guess it could be… _possible.”_  Right as the word left her mouth, she heard her daughter squeal in joy. “But only if you take extra good care of him and we can’t find it a home.”

Pretending to hear her mother’s final statements, Amelia nodded vigorously then spoke to the dog. “I’m going to name you Lucky, ‘cause you were lucky I found you.” Emma couldn’t help but smile at her daughter’s name choice and reasoning. “I’m going to be the bestest momma ever, I promise,” the girl finished, hugging the dog around its neck.

_‘What have I gotten myself into?’_


	3. Chapter 3

Emma had successfully managed to persuade Regina into letting the  _foul_  creature enter their humble abode, with a few conditions, of course: no jumping on the furniture, no shedding, no begging, and  _definitely_ no getting in Regina’s personal space. The conditions were understandable, so the blonde agreed, relaying what Regina had said to her daughter.

The brunette was in the process of preparing dinner when she saw a set of piercing brown eyes in her peripherals. “What do  _you_ want,” she directed towards the pet, glaring down at its begging form. The former queen had to retrain herself from rolling her eyes and called out for the blonde woman.

“Yes, babe,” Emma greeted knowingly, having seen Lucky enter the kitchen earlier. Regina flashed the woman a look then proceeded with her preparations, inquiring, “Have you finished the flyers yet? I’m growing tired of this _beast_  staring at me.” Lucky had now abandoned Regina’s side, no longer consumed by the thought of scraps being handed to him, then began slurping from his water dish.  The brunette scowled at the action.

Emma made her way towards her distressed wife, wrapping her arms around the woman’s midsection, and whispered in her ear from behind. “Just relax, my queen,” the blonde husked. “The flyers are all printed and he’ll be gone before you know it.” Her wife let out a grateful sigh, goosebumps appearing on her olive skin due to the woman’s proximity.

Regina turned in the blonde’s arms, wrapping her own around the savior’s neck.  “You better hope you’re right,” she warned with raised brows. The brunette wasn’t going to give up  _that_  easily. She’s too stubborn and not above making the woman feel miserable until the moment that _fleabag_  leaves her premises.

Untangling herself from her wife’s embrace, Regina made her way over towards the fridge to put away some of her ingredients, leaving the blonde to stare at her retreating form. “Come on, Gina,” the blonde coaxed. “You can’t stay made at me  _forever.”_

Letting out a mirthless chuckled, the woman retorted, “Please, if you think  _this_ is being drawled out, you obviously don’t remember the curse I enacted.” Regina mused to herself then added, “Twenty-eight years of repeating the same day…now  _that_ feels like forever.”

Emma took notice of her wife’s pained expression, regret evident on the woman’s features. Approaching the woman again, Emma rubbed soothing circles on the woman’s back then both women were startled by Amelia’s exaggerated entrance into the room.

Sliding on her sock-cladded feet, Amelia glided into the room while holding her hands out to steady herself.  _“Mommy,”_  the girl exclaimed, knocking both women from their inner thoughts. When Regina recovered, she questioned the girl, who then asked, “When are we going to buy Lucky a collar? Mama said that we could keep him,” she beamed at the woman, sporting a wide grin.

Regina gave her wife a side glare, responding to the girl, “She did, now? Well, how about Mama and I have a little chat about this and we’ll get back to you?” Amelia furrowed her small brows then flashed a look at her blonde mother, whose eyes were pleading at the girl. Glancing back at Regina, the young brunette caught onto the fact they wanted to have a  _private_  conversation, so she exited the kitchen with Lucky following closely behind.

 _‘Oh, shit,’_ the blonde woman panicked with wide eyes. Chancing a glance at her brunette counterpart, Emma took notice of the woman’s set jaw and seething expression.  _‘Looks like Lucky’s not the only one in the doghouse.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the 'in the doghouse' reference goes to dance_of_pales, who left an amazing comment that inspired the name of the fic and the in-text reference to the idiom. Thank you for reading and your support. :)  
> -ShipsInTheKnight


	4. Chapter 4

“Now, I’m sure you have a perfectly logical explanation as to why _our_ daughter seems to think that we’d _adopt_ that walking carrier of rabies,” Regina fumed, praying she didn’t just hear what she thought she had. If the blonde’s regretful expression was any indicator, she knew that it wasn’t the case.

“Technically, not all dogs have rabies,” the blonde tried. She instantly winced at her lame statement, knowing that she had just dug her grave even deeper. The brunette’s nostrils were now flaring out with every breath she took.

Instead of lashing out at the woman, knowing that the blonde expected the reaction from her, the former evil queen decided to punish the savior further. She let out a loud growl of anger, throwing her hands into the air, then stormed upstairs to the master bedroom, leaving behind a gaping blonde in her wake.

 _‘Well, I_ definitely _didn’t expect that,’_ thought the blonde. Instantly, she paled at the realization. If her wife is _that_ angry with her that she’s not even bother verbally tearing her apart, then she’s really gotten herself into some deep shit.

 

The day went on, Emma watching over Amelia and Lucky while Regina was doing god knows what. _‘She’s probably just letting out steam,’_ explained the blonde, trying to calm her nerves of her wife still being upset with her. Of course, Emma _knew_ the woman was angry with her, but what she was both scared and anxious to know was to what degree of anger her wife was in. That’s one thing that the blonde could absolutely _not_ stand–not knowing something.

Around five thirty, Amelia began to tell her blonde mother that she was getting hungry, which prompted the woman to start dinner. She was thankful for the distraction, aiding in keeping her mind off her wife. Emma decided to make spaghetti, per her daughter’s request. During her preparations, she received a text from Regina. The blonde was hesitant to open the message, but knew that if she didn’t, things would only get worse for her. _‘Please let her not still be pissed at me,’_ Emma pleaded in her mind.

Opening the text from her wife, she read:

**Regina: Will be home for dinner around 6. Have errands to run.**

After rereading the message a few times, Emma was still confused by the brunette woman’s intended tone, being not able to pick it up from her text. The blonde huffed to herself in frustration, running her fingers through her long hair, then she realized that she needed to _reply_ to her wife’s message.

Anxiety began to form in the pit of her stomach at the thought, then she began typing.

**Emma: Okay. Dinner will be ready. See you then.**

Pressing send, she felt her heart clench in her chest. She knows that she’s taking this whole guilt thing a bit too far, but with Regina, everything is brought to a ten. The woman just feels things _so_ deeply, one of the many characteristics that the blonde loves about her.

Taking in a deep breath, Emma calmed herself, then she decided to go check up with her daughter while the water starts to boil.


	5. Chapter 5

After Emma had sat Amelia down with her plate of food, she waited anxiously for her wife’s return before eating. If she were being honest, the blonde wasn’t sure if she could stomach anythingwith her wife being angry at her.

The savior’s attention was drawn from her inner musings by the sound of the door opening, signaling Regina’s arrival. Inhaling a deep breath, Emma braced herself for what was about to come.

Strutting into the dining room, Regina greeted her daughter with a kiss to the forehead then made her way into the kitchen, ignoring her wife’s presence. Emma fought herself not to do an eye roll. _‘And she calls_ me _childish,’_ snorted the blonde.

When both women had gotten their own meals and sat at the table, Emma attempted to start a conversation, hating the tension-filled silence in the room. “So, babe,” she began hesitantly, “How was your day.” Without sparing a glance at her wife, the brunette lamely responded, “Fine,” shoveling another forkful of pasta into her mouth.

Having had enough of the woman’s childish games, Emma slammed her utensils on her plate, causing Amelia to jump in shock. “Okay, quit it with the act, will you,” the blonde demanded. “I get it, you’re angry with me! That’s no reason to ruin a perfectly good dinner over.” Emma shook her head and let out a mirthless chuckle, adding another line of dialogue on a whim. “Not to mention the bad example you’re setting for our kid,” she trailed off.

This time, Regina was the one to throw her for and spoon down, causing the child to once again be surprised at the action. “That is not fair,” screamed the brunette, standing abruptly from her seat. “You know damn well that what you did was wrong.”

Instantly regretting her statement, Emma shrunk into herself at her wife’s harsh tone. “And as for setting bad examples, how about the one where you didn’t even bother to ask me before making a _big_ decision dealing with _our_ household,” the brunette finished, fuming, as she abandoned the table and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

Having witnessed the argument, the young girl was on the verge of tears and questioned her blonde mother. “Um…may I be excused?” Glancing at her daughter’s tear-filled eyes, the blonde felt even guiltier over the situation. Nodding in approval, she quietly responded, “Yes, of course.”

 

Regina rematerialized inside her vault, staring right into her reflection in her mirror. Her jaw clenched in rage as she reached for the closest object and chucked it at the reflective surface, shattering it to pieces. Falling to her knees, the woman broke out into tears. _‘How did it get_ this _far? It was just over some stupid dog.’_

Realizing the fact, the former queen rose to her feet, a menacing smirk adorning her lips. _‘That’s it,’_ mused the brunette. Using her magic to repair the broken mirror, she retrieved a small vial from one of her shelves. Holding the item up before her, she smiled wickedly as the warning label read: transformation potion.

 

The next day, Emma woke up to the smell of coffee beside her bed. Maybe her wife wasn’t as mad as she thought, she shrugged off. Rising from her bed, she got a firm grip of the mug and took a generous sip, groaning in gratitude as the warm liquid made its way down her throat.

Once she finished her drink and had gotten dressed, Emma made her way down the stairs. When she reached the bottom step, she felt as if everything in the house had grown a few sizes. Glancing down at two identical golden paws, Emma noted that something was _definitely_ wrong.

Growling to herself, the blonde knew the cause of the change. _‘Regina.’_


	6. Chapter 6

Emma’s initial reaction was to find her wife, which proved to be a difficult task considering that she wasn’t home. She could tell by the absence of Regina’s scent in the halls, which trailed out the front door where Emma noticed an empty spot where her black Mercedes usually resides. _‘Maybe there are some perks to this,’_ thought the blonde. Glancing down at her golden paws once again, she quickly followed her previous admission by, _‘Or maybe not.’_

The blonde knew that finding a way out of the home and finding Regina to turn her back would be challenging. Emma knew she couldn’t leave her daughter all alone. Also, going out into the world, she risked being captured by another family or even the pound. Despite the fact, Emma was determined to find a way out of the home, not liking the idea of feeling stuck in a place for too long. In this case, it was her own body.

The blonde attempted to open the front door with her paws, which was near impossible due to the fact that the door was locked. _‘Damn it, Regina,’_ Emma cursed to herself, only to be caught off guard by her daughter’s voice calling out, “Puppy?” Having been confused at first from her daughter’s reaction of seeing her mother, glancing back at her form again, Emma realized that she was not recognizable to her kid. Once again, she cursed to herself at the thought.

Amelia had been awoken from her sleep by a loud noise coming from down the stairs, followed by some low growling sounds that sounded like Lucky. After finding out that Lucky was still sleeping peacefully by her side, the young girl crept out of her room and followed the source of the noise.

Making her way closer to the golden canine, Amelia held out a hand to the dog, hoping that the dog would find her friendly. After unconsciously sniffing the girl’s proffered hand, Emma rubbed her head against it, not wanting her daughter to fear her. Appreciating the kind gesture from the girl, the blonde was lost in the young brunette’s comforting touch, her senses having been enhanced in her new form. Amelia continued to stroke the dog’s head until she heard a growl from behind her.

Craning her neck around the girl, Emma noticed a pair of brown eyes barring into her own. Instantly, she recognized them as belonging to Amelia’s other canine friend, Lucky. Gulping to herself, Emma instinctively backed away from the girl, not wanting to cause any trouble and frightening her daughter. Seemingly satisfied by the blonde’s actions, Lucky made his way towards his favorite human, wrapping himself protectively close to the girl’s small form.

Oblivious to the tension between the two mutts, Amelia greeting her friend, “Hey, Lucky! It looks like you have a new friend!” She giggled at the sight of Emma’s dog form, finding her nervous expression adorable. After the greeting, Amelia made her way to the kitchen, the two pets following her actions. Emma made sure to be a few steps behind the girl as Lucky eyed her carefully from behind.

When they had reached the kitchen, Amelia made quick work of climbing up the counter and retrieving a box of colorful cereal. Emma, out of habit, was about to warn the girl about being careful, then quickly caught herself from doing so, noting that she wouldn’t be able to understand her. After safely climbing down with the box in her arm, the girl smiled victoriously to the pair and made her way to the living room.

Once they had all been seated on the couch, the girl in between the two animals, Amelia used the television remote to turn on cartoons and began scooping handfuls of cereal into her mouth. During a particularly interesting segment of the show, Amelia froze her actions of eating, leaving her hand in front of her, full of the colorful food.

Having taken notice of the girl’s distracted demeanor, Lucky made a quick decision of plunging his snout into Amelia’s hand, effectively stealing the food from the girl. Emma noticed the action and growled at the mutt. As for her daughter, she found it adorable and said, “You must be hungry, boy,” as she lightly patted the dog’s head. Scrunching her face in confusion, Emma let out an annoyed huff of air.

Taking the blonde dog’s actions as a sign of jealousy, Amelia took another handful of the food and offered it to Emma. The blonde fought with herself over whether or not to accept the gesture, not wanting to encourage her daughter, then heard a low rumbling coming from her stomach. Realizing that she didn’t know when her next meal would be, not wanting to be forced to eat the dog food they had procured for Lucky, Emma graciously accepted the girl’s proffered hand.

As she chomped down on the food, she felt her daughter’s hand stroke her long, blonde mane. Unconsciously, Emma rolled over to her back after swallowing down the food. Taking the hint, the young brunette lazily scratched the dog’s belly, resulting in the blonde’s foot shaking rapidly and thudding against the surface of the couch. Hopefully her nails wouldn’t scratch the surface, the blonde worried, which was then mentally waved off by her surrendering herself to the wonderful feeling. _‘So_ this _is what all the fuss was about,’_ she mused to herself. The blonde was in true bliss.

Interrupting the action, having grown impatient from the lack of attention, Lucky used his snout to nudge the young girl, causing her to halt her actions. After feeling the loss of contact, Emma glanced up at her daughter and flashed her a confused expression. Then her eye sight drifted to the other dog and she quickly realized who was to blame. _‘Oh, hell no! If I’m going to be stuck like this, I’m going to need_ something _to hold me over before I can sink my teeth into my wife,’_ Emma growled to herself. _‘This bitch is challenging me! I’ll show him who really owns this house.’_

Jumping down off of the couch, Emma made her way to position herself in front of the pair. Attempting to clear her throat, to get her daughter’s attention, Emma let out a low gurgling sound. Once the blonde was sure she had the girl’s full attention, she readied herself for her performance.

 _‘3…2…1…’_ After casting a smug gaze at Lucky, who narrowed his eyes at her in response, Emma flawlessly performed the rolling over trick, followed by ‘dancing’ upon her hind legs. After her display, Amelia erupted into a roar of laughter and clapped her hands enthusiastically. Strutting back to her previous seat next to the girl with her head held high, Emma caught sight of Lucky’s seething expression and she felt proud.


End file.
